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Nearly Half of All Mobile Calls Could Soon Be Scams

A new report is revealing some information that’s downright scary – especially when it comes to your personal data.

In just a few months, nearly half of all cellphone calls will be from scammers, claims call management company First Orion, which analyzes scam calls and offers caller ID and call blocking technology.

Mobile scam calls have skyrocketed – from 3.7 percent of calls in 2017 to 29.2 percent this year, and First Orion projects that number will reach 44.6 percent by early 2019.

Scammers are finding increasingly savvy ways to get people to answer their phones. The most popular trick – known as neighborhood spoofing – involves disguising their phone number to display as a local number on caller ID.

This tactic hurts both the potential victim and the owner of the phone number used to make the call, First Orion reports, by causing confusion and frustration for both parties.

Every year, thousands of people lose money to telephone scams, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) notes. Scammers can be very convincing, either creating a seemingly real sense of urgency or claiming to work for a company you trust. They may even send you mail or place ads in an attempt to trick you into calling them.

If you get a call from someone you don’t know who is trying to sell you something you hadn’t planned to buy, or if the caller pressures you about giving up personal information or money, chances are it’s a scam.

While you might not be able to prevent scammers from targeting you, there are some ways you can thwart their attempts.

If you don’t recognize a phone number, don’t answer your phone. If it’s a legitimate caller, they will probably leave you a voicemail message.

If you get a recorded voicemail message instead of one from a live person – or if you answer the phone and hear a recorded message, hang up. It’s likely an illegal robocall (unless you’ve given the company written permission to call you).

Register all of your phone numbers with the National Do Not Call Registry. If you still get unwanted calls, there’s a good chance they’re from scammers. You can report them at www.donotcall.gov.

If you do answer a call from an unknown number, be suspicious of high-pressure tactics and offers that seem too good to be true. Telemarketers are legally required to tell you it’s a sales call, the name of the seller and what they’re selling before making their pitch. If they don’t, hang up.

Do not give out or even confirm your account information. Some callers already have your billing information, and the FTC says they’re trying to get you to confirm it, so they can claim you approved a charge.

►If you spot a scam, report it at ftc.gov/complaint. You can also sign up for free scam alerts from the FTC at ftc.gov/scams.